Double Trouble (Zodiac Girls)

by Cathy Hopkins

  ‘Should I tell Lilith? Oh, and Mary’s here.’

  Mum shook her head. ‘We won’t be long. PJ said to bring just you as Lilith already has her ideas clear in her head. PJ seemed concerned that you were maybe going along with your sister. Is that true, sweetheart?’

  ‘I … I’m not sure what I want yet.’

  ‘Then let’s go! Let’s go and see what this lady has to show you.’

  I hesitated for a moment then blurted out. ‘Mum, I’m not sure about this PJ bloke.’

  Mum gave me a mysterious smile and beckoned me out of my room. ‘Neither was I at first so I Googled him as soon as your dad set up the computer this morning. Come with me.’ She led me downstairs to the back room where the computer was. ‘Take a look at this.’ She typed in ‘The Transformer’ into Google then clicked the mouse. A page came up showing loads of links. She pressed on the first one. ‘I’ll leave you to it for a bit while I go and get ready.’

  It was amazing. Page after page of makeovers that he’d done. Houses he’d transformed. Different styles, different tastes – it seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do and I had to admit that in each and every one he’d made a stunning transformation.

  Mum came back in after a while and stood behind my shoulder. ‘At first I thought that Nonna had a cheek hiring this stranger, but actually she couldn’t have picked a more perfect present and it’s very generous of her. As his site says, PJ’s the name, transformation’s the game.’

  ‘You don’t … find him a bit spooky?’

  ‘Oh, you mean his Victorian poet look? Not really. I think it makes him look rather romantic,’ she said as she gazed dreamily at PJ’s picture on the screen.

  ‘Mum! You’ve got a crush on him!’

  Mum giggled then put her index finger to her lips. ‘Shh,’ she said. ‘Don’t tell your dad. But, really, PJ can work wonders here and it means your dad and I can relax and not worry about it. It’s all a bit of a relief, if I’m honest. I don’t know the first thing about decor or style, but I do know what looks good when someone else does it. So, come on, let’s go and see what this mystery person has to show you.’

  We arrived in Osbury about fifteen minutes later and we looked for a beauty salon called Pentangles.

  ‘Over there,’ I said as I spotted the name above a white shop window. We went over and tried to peer inside, but it was hard to see because there was a white venetian blind up.

  ‘Let’s ring the bell,’ I said, and pressed the silver buzzer I could see next to the door.

  Just at that moment, the door opened as the sun came out of the clouds, illuminating the figure standing in front of us. The sight couldn’t have been more of a contrast to the dark figure of PJ who had stood on our porch in the storm only yesterday. For one thing, this person was female, dressed in white jeans and a tight top. She was a blonde babe. Adam would go mental if he saw her, I thought as I said ‘hi’. She was a living, breathing Barbie.

  She beamed a wide smile, showing perfect white teeth. ‘Alwight?’ she asked in an Essex accent.

  ‘Yes,’ said Mum. ‘PJ sent us. You must be Nessa, yes?’

  ‘Yeah. I’ve been expecting you. Come on in.’

  ‘Well, actually, I was hoping to leave Eve here with you while I go and get some supplies from the supermarket.’

  ‘Course, doll. PJ told me that you just moved yesterday, yeah?’

  I had to hold myself back from laughing. No one had ever called my mum anything like that before. Professor, yes. Doll, no. She didn’t seem to mind, though, and nodded.

  ‘Yes, it’s madness.’

  ‘I can imagine. So, yeah, leave Eve wiv me. We’ll be fine.’

  ‘I’ll be back in about an hour, then, OK?’

  ‘Take your time, love,’ said Nessa. ‘We’ll find plenty to talk about, yeah?’

  ‘Um, yeah.’

  Mum set off in the direction of the supermarket and Nessa ushered me inside. ‘You’re Zodiac Girl, right?’

  I hesitated for a second and wondered whether to try to pretend that I was Lilith and that Eve couldn’t make it, but she saw me pause. She chuckled then nudged me playfully. ‘And don’t you try none of the twin swoppin’ malarkey. PJ told me you might. Bet you and yer sis ’ave ’ad a right laugh sometimes, ’aven’t you?’

  ‘Sometimes,’ I said. I liked her. She exuded warmth and seemed like fun, but not Adam and Lilith’s spook-everyone-out kind of fun. ‘Yeah, we have. And, yeah, I am Zodiac Girl although … ’

  ‘So, what do you think of my place, then?’

  I looked around at the decor. It was lovely. Simple but stylish. The walls and ceiling were white and it had the mirrors that you’d expect in a salon, but painted in between the mirrors were entwined silver leaves and along the top of the walls were patterned borders of silver.

  ‘Celtic patterns those are,’ said Nessa as she saw me look up. ‘I’ve just ’ad it done. I like to change it once or twice a year.’

  ‘Once or twice a year?’

  ‘Yeah. See, I like so many different colours and looks, why keep it one way forever? I think people get stuck in one style then it all gets stagnant, like. I ’ad this place done out like a fairy grotto last year, little twinkly lights everywhere. Was right lovely. I’m not usually part of PJ’s decoratin’ team, though. Most of the time I run the beauty salon ’ere and occasionally I run night classes in ’ow to find yer inner goddess.’

  ‘Are you going to show me some ideas for interior design?’

  ‘Yeah, but all in good time. First make yerself comfy. I got a couple of my girls comin’ in. I thought we could ’ave a bit of a relax.’ She glanced down at my bitten fingernails then quickly looked away as if she didn’t want to draw attention to them. ‘We could ’ave a pedicure and some girlie time.’

  It wasn’t what I expected, but ten minutes later I was lying back on a reclining chair while a blonde girl called Chantelle massaged my feet with perfumed oil. Gentle music played in the background. I’d never had a pedicure before and it felt fabulous.

  ‘Smells gorgeous,’ I said to Nessa who was in the chair next to mine having her feet done by a small dark girl called Sennah.

  ‘Yeah. It’s a mix of frankincense and jasmine. Lovely, innit?’

  I nodded. ‘I like the music too.’

  ‘Yeah. Uri from the cyber cafe down the road put it together. It’s a sort of chill-out CD. He did it on the computer.’

  ‘Lovely,’ I said, and settled back, closing my eyes. As Chantelle worked her magic on my feet, I began to feel myself relax and a warm, cosy feeling began to spread through my body. Before I knew it, I had drifted off. Nessa must have let me sleep because when I awoke it was half an hour later, the massage girls had gone and Nessa had brought me a hot drink.

  ‘Honey, lemon and a few secret ingredients,’ she said as she placed the mug besides me. ‘’Ow you feelin’, babe?’

  ‘I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,’ I said. ‘I feel all floaty and light. It’s lovely here.’

  Nessa smiled. ‘We try to make people feel good. And it’s important to have balance in yer life I think. Bit of work, bit of play, bit of relaxation.’

  ‘I agree,’ I said, and made a mental note to make pedicures a part of my life from then on.

  ‘Now then, doll. PJ thought you might like to ’ear some of my ideas for decoratin’.’

  ‘Yes, I’d love to.’

  ‘But, thing is, I’m me. And you might not like what I like. So, before I show you, what I want to know is ’ow do you see yer room, then? Got any ideas?’

  I hesitated again. I’d never told anyone how I saw it, not Lilith, not even Mary, but Nessa looked like she might understand, maybe even like my ideas and I was feeling so warm and fuzzy and safe that I felt like I could have told her anything.

  ‘My sister, Lilith, is really into goth and she wants to do her room, maybe both our rooms, in that style, you know, dark, spooky posters on the wall –’

  ‘Yeah, but that’s y
er sister, innit? Not you, though, is it, doll?’ she asked. ‘I can see straight off that wouldn’t be yer style. You want something different, dun’t you?’

  I nodded. ‘I think so, but I think people that know me, know us, might be shocked.’

  ‘So, do it the way you want and maybe next year, like me, you’ll change yer mind. That’s OK. A lick of paint dun’t cost much. Few posters. Few accessories. Get a few mags, have a flick through, that’s what I do. I keep all the pages with interiors I like in a special file.’

  ‘So do I! I … I … ’ I knew that I didn’t need to see her magazines. I already knew what I wanted as I had been collecting my ideas for months now in my secret tin. ‘But I … I have a problem, Nessa.’

  ‘Most Zodiac Girls do,’ she said. ‘Often that’s why they’re Zodiac Girls – they’re at a turning point in their lives or have come up against some obstacle. You’ve just moved, ’aven’t you? That’s pretty major.’

  ‘So why isn’t my twin sister a Zodiac Girl, then?’

  ‘She’s probably more comfortable with what’s ’appenin’. Is that right?’

  I nodded.

  ‘So what’s yer problem? You don’t ’ave to tell me if you don’t want.’

  ‘I … I’ve never told anyone.’

  ‘Secret’s safe with me. Promise. Cross my ’eart, babe.’

  ‘And promise you won’t laugh?’

  ‘Not unless it’s really funny,’ she replied with a smile. She gave my arm a gentle squeeze. ‘If something’s botherin’ you, best get it out. A problem shared is a problem halved. If you keep it all bottled up inside, it can feed on itself and grow and grow until it becomes like a monster inside of you.’

  ‘That’s exactly what it’s like,’ I said.

  ‘Come on, then, spill the beans.’

  ‘OK. My … my problem is that … and I know it sounds silly and childish, but I … am scared of the dark.’

  ‘That’s not silly. Lots of people are scared of the dark.’

  ‘Not in my family,’ I said, and quickly filled her in on Adam and Lilith’s spook nights.

  She listened patiently and I could tell by her eyes that she was sympathetic. ‘So why didn’t you tell anyone?’

  ‘I couldn’t. I can’t. Already I am second best at everything. Lilith is the perfect twin. She gets all the prizes. She’s clever and fearless and writes amazing poetry and I tag along behind her never able to catch up. If she and everyone else knew that I was a big sissy and scared of the dark on top of being such a total loser, it would be so humiliating. That’s why I can’t tell anyone.’

  ‘Oh, you poor doll,’ said Nessa.

  I nodded. ‘And that’s my problem, see. I can’t decide. If I share a room with Lilith, then I won’t be scared at night because she’ll be there – I feel just about OK if someone’s there with me – but if I do share with her I won’t have my own room, which I was so looking forward to.’

  ‘And what in your heart would you really, really like to happen?’

  ‘Not to be scared any more.’

  Nessa nodded. ‘If you could get over that, you’ll be free. You’ll be able to go anywhere and not be frightened. So what are these plans you have for your room?’

  I went over to my rucksack and pulled out my secret tin. I turned and held it over my chest. ‘I, er … I’ve been collecting some ideas in here for how I’d like it.’

  ‘Come on, then. Give us a look.’

  ‘I … but I’ve never shown anyone these. Promise you won’t be shocked.’

  Nessa winked. ‘I’ll do my best not to be.’

  I decided that I could trust her. ‘OK, but it’s a secret, yeah?’

  ‘OK,’ she said.

  I flicked through and removed my private poetry (I wasn’t ready to show anyone that yet!) and handed over the rest of the papers from the box. She glanced through them and nodded, looked up and smiled. ‘Thought so,’ she said. ‘This is much more you.’ Suddenly she laughed. ‘But it won’t be much of a secret if you do your room up like this.’

  She spread the papers that I’d cut out from magazines on the bed. Each and every one of them was gorgeously, gloriously … pink.

  Chapter Ten

  Makeover Magic

  ‘Be brave,’ said Nessa after I’d expressed my fear of revealing my plans to my family, and that was exactly what I intended to be. I left her salon feeling chilled and encouraged – plus I had bright pink toenails to match my fantasy room decor.

  I told Mum my plan to go pink on the way home. She didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘Whatever you like, love,’ she said. ‘You have to live with it.’

  And so my first secret is out to one of my family. One down, I thought as I got out of the car when we reached home, but then I should have known that Mum would be easy. She just wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. Next was up to Lilith’s room. She and Mary were on the floor painting each other’s toenails. Pearly white for Mary, vampire red for Lilith. I wasn’t surprised to see that Lilith was doing her nails as well as me because that often happened when we were apart. It’s a twin thing.

  ‘I have something to show you,’ I said, and before I lost my nerve I pulled out my pink plans and laid them on the floor.

  ‘This is how I want to do my room,’ I blurted.

  Mary and Lilith glanced over them. Mary looked up at me and gave me the thumbs up. Lilith looked confused.

  ‘You are joking,’ she said.

  ‘Um … no. It’s how I’d like my room, so, you see, we can’t share because we have such different ideas.’

  Lilith stared up at me, trying to work out if I was having her on. ‘Ohmigod. You’re serious,’ she announced after a few moments.

  I nodded. ‘And … and don’t try to talk me out of it because it’s what I really, really want.’ And I left the room before she could.

  I went to bed that night feeling concerned about Lilith’s reaction. Relax, I told myself. One step at a time. I was brave and told Lilith my plans – that’s a start. At least I didn’t have to worry about the dark as Mary was staying over and, when I finally got to sleep, I slept well and felt that my life had maybe begun to turn a corner.

  PJ, his assistants and a team of decorators arrived first thing the next day and it was like watching a makeover programme on fast forward. They started on the ground floor and everywhere there was noise, dust, knocking and nailing. At one point, when the builders were having a tea break, I cornered PJ who was supervising everything and showed him my plans. He seemed to like them, was as encouraging as Nessa had been and I began to think that maybe he wasn’t as spooky as I’d first imagined. He even threw in a few ideas of his own that I liked.

  ‘Iz more you,’ he said as he glanced over the room plans again. ‘Iz good you iz telling peoples vot you iz vonting in your room, but Nessa say zat zere iz more for you to be sayings, ja?’

  ‘Everything I told her was a secret!’ I said.

  ‘But I am telling you before. I am knowing all secrets because I am Pluto planet to do viz all zings hidden. Iz like my talent, if you like. I can’t help knowing zese zing.’

  I knew he was referring to my fear of the dark. ‘Well, don’t tell the others, will you?’

  He crossed his heart. ‘I never doing zat. Iz up to you ven you iz ready and I iz zinking zat you iz ready soon and zis iz vy you are Zodiac Girl.’

  ‘Because I’m afraid of the dark?’

  ‘Because you iz ready to be facing zis fear and ve and my fellow planeties are here to help.’

  ‘But how?’

  PJ looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Next coming in your chart iz conjunction between ze moon and Mercury.’

  ‘Mercury’s the planet of communication, isn’t it?’ I asked. I’d read in my City Girl magazine in our weekly horoscope that there was something to do with Mercury’s influence this week.

  PJ nodded.

  ‘So what does that mean exactly, then?’

  ‘It vill mean vot you make of it,’ PJ replie
d. ‘How you respond. Like sun shines on all of us but some peoples choose to be out and sunbathe, ozzers stay indoors or put hat on. Understandings?’

  ‘Sort of. But … will some of the stuff that’s happening to me apply to Lilith even if we don’t have the same rising signs?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. You iz beings right. Some stuff is very particular to you, Zodiac Girl, ozzer zings happening to all Scorpios, but even so iz always down to individual vot zey iz making of it. Zis veek iz time for opening up and communicating for all Scorpios, but for you, you iz getting special help. Understand?’

  ‘Sort of,’ I said.

  He’s talking in riddles, I thought, but later that night, just after we’d got ready for bed, Lilith came into my room.

  ‘Hi,’ she said, and she shifted about on her feet as if she was a little awkward.

  ‘Hi,’ I replied.

  ‘I … I have something that needs saying. I … I just wanted to say that I am sorry if I have been a bossy boots and didn’t really consult you about our rooms. I guess I can be a little bossy and, in future, please just tell me if I am going on about anything, and what you really want.’

  ‘OK,’ I said. ‘I … ’ Tell her now! Tell her now that you’re scared of the dark and are dreading being on your own, said a voice in my head. ‘I … I … ’ I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.

  ‘I what?’ asked Lilith.

  ‘I think your room will be fab,’ I said. ‘It’s just not what I want at the moment.’

  ‘I can’t wait for our first sleepover in there. We can tell ghost stories and everything. It will be great.’

  I nodded. I didn’t want to miss out on that.

  She gave me a hug goodnight and then I was alone in my new bedroom once more. I heard Mum call, ‘Lights out,’ and I knew that I had to face my fears.

  I turned the light out and the room disappeared into darkness. I squeezed my eyes shut, but it was dark in there too. My mouth went dry and my heart began to pound, boom, boom, boom, like a big drum. I put my hand up to my mouth and nibbled on my nails. I thought about calling Dr Cronus so that he could bore me to sleep again, but he’d sounded so cross last time that I didn’t dare. Maybe I should call Hermie, seeing as he’s the one for communication, seeing as there’s some aspect to him or something. Maybe that’s what PJ was trying to tell me, I thought. I switched my light back on, found the phone and pressed the button for Hermie.